One of the finest running backs ever to come out of the Muskegon area, Orchard View High School’s Curtis Adams set school records at prep and college levels before embarking on a five-year career in the National Football League.  A 1981 graduate of Orchard View, Curtis starred in three sports for the Cardinals – football, basketball and track.  In football, he rushed for 3,275 yards from 1978-80 to establish a school record.  In basketball, he averaged 17.2 points per game with a career total of 1,098 – another school record.  In track, he also set school records in the 100-meter and 200- meter dashes, the 110-meter high hurdles, the high jump, and the long jump.

He continued to set records in college as one of Central Michigan University’s finest tailbacks in school history. His 44 career touchdowns at CMU were a school and conference record.  His 4,126 career rushing yards were also a school record, and at the time ranked third all-time in the history of the Mid-American Conference.  While at CMU, he was first-team All-MAC three straight years and second-team All-American in 1984.  In his sophomore year (1982) he gained 238 yards against Ohio University and at season’s end was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year.

He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the eighth round of the 1985 NFL draft.  Curtis remained with the Chargers for five seasons in a valuable utility role, accumulating 1,178 total yards as a running back and special teams performer.  In 1989, he played briefly with the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets until a calf injury forced him into early retirement.